Nothing Happens if you Just Give In!
by Everything'sGoldenGianna09
Summary: In the middle of the Newsies Strike of 1899, there was Katherine Pulitzer- Plumber. For a struggling female reporter, Katherine is constantly struggling in her articles and starving for an exciting story. When the underestimated newsies for a union and strike, Katherine jumps at the opportunity. Will Katherine win her respect as a reporter, or will she run out of time?
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been working really really hard on this story, and I think you will like it. I'm going to see Les Mis this summer and I am beyond excited! I don't own Newsies. Thank you for all the support!**

She always believed that procrastination was the thief of time. She couldn't wait any longer for someone to come and do things for her. Now is the time. Right now. Katherine Plumber sat and clapped politely as the cast of the play bowed. She set down her notebook in her lap. Katherine rested her head in her hands. There had to be more to life than just reviewing shows for the newspaper. Right? She never had loved these plays anyway. The singing was nice, but the plot was always there was a girl in trouble, and a big, strong man comes and saves her, and then happily ever after. You get what you work for. Not what you wish for. She was determined to make her own dream come true. For now, she didn't see an alternative to reviewing these shows so she could make a living for herself. Katherine grabbed her notebook and pen and walked out of the theater.

* * *

She kicked a rock that had come loose from the cobblestones beneath her feet. Katherine brushed the auburn hair off of her shoulder and kicked another pebble. She watched the pebble fly to the dark brown shoes with tan pants just above them.

"Hi, Darcy," Katherine muttered.

"Hey. Your dad sent me," Darcy responded.

"Yeah, I thought so." Katherine grabbed Darcy's arm and they started towards the square. The only thing she could think of was how her dad always sent Bill or Darcy over to 'escort' her to where she was going. She was perfectly capable of walking on her own two legs around New York. She walked toward the square. A boy jumped in front of her with his dark hair poking out of his faded brown cap.

"Well, hello, hello, hello, beautiful." Katherine smiled awkwardly back at him. Another one of the boys in the square shoved him aside, now standing in front of Katherine now.

"Hey! Step aside, Romeo. Nothing that concerns you here." He turned around smoothly. "Morning, Miss! May I interest you in the latest news?"

"The paper isn't out yet," Katherine responded icily; she stepped forward, prompting Darcy to keep moving along the street, but the boy stepped in front of her again.

"I would be delighted to deliver to you personally." He said in his thick New York accent. Darcy started forward towards the boy, but Katherine put her hand in front of him to stop him.

"I've got a headline for you," Katherine said sarcastically. "Cheeky boy gets nothing for his troubles." She put extra emphasis on the word nothing and walked down the street while she heard shouting and saw a few of the boys punch the guy that was talking to her.

"Back to the bench, slugger. You struck out!"

"I'm crashing!" Katherine glanced back at the group of boys just before she walked towards the Sun as fast as she could.

* * *

There she was… again. Reviewing the show for the New York Sun. Miss Medda came on, and the lights dimmed.

"I'm doing alright for myself, folks," Miss Medda sang. Katherine chewed on the end of her pen and scribbled down some feedback for the show.

"I'm healthy, I'm wealthy, I'm wise." She wanted more. More than these flower shows.

"My investments and such have all gone up so much, it seems whatever I touch starts to rise." Katherine heard Miss Medda's voice soar with the song. She was one of the only people who could make her forget she was working. Katherine closed her eyes and listened to Miss Medda, and before she knew it, the song was over. Miss Medda bowed and thanked the crowd graciously.

"And now, gents, let's give a big hand for the Bowery Beauties!" Katherine saw the two girls run on stage giddily.

"Don't come a-knockin' on my door." Katherine jotted down her comments on their costumes.

"Hello again," said a familiar voice. Her head snapped up. The boy grinned back at her.

"This is a private box," Katherine said impatiently.

"If you want, I should lock the door," he flashed a smile. "Twice in one day. Think it's fate?" Katherine was becoming annoyed.

"Go away, I'm working."

"Oh, a working girl, huh? Doing what?" Katherine held up her notebook with an eye-roll.

"Reviewing the show for the New York Sun."

"Hey! I work for the World!" he responded, still smiling at her. Katherine put on her most sarcastic smirk.

"Woah! Somewhere out there, someone cares!" She looked out and gestured toward the exit. "Go tell them."

"The view's better here," he said, looking down at the stage. Katherine was getting pretty agitated.

"Please go. I am not in the habit of speaking to strangers."

"You're gonna make a lousy reporter then," he laughed. "Name's Jack Kelly."

"Is that what it says on your rap sheet?" Katherine asked.

"Oh a smart girl, huh?" He paused thoughtfully. "I admire smart girls. Beautiful, smart, independent-"

"Do you mind?!" Katherine shouted.

"PIPE DOWN UP THERE!" The sound of clanking metal filled Katherine's ears. She jumped, shocked.

"You got in for free! At least pay attention!" Miss Medda shouted at Jack from below.

"I'm sorry, Miss Medda," Jack whispered. Miss Medda shot him a knowing look. He went to the side of the box and looked down below. Katherine immediately went back to her notebook, quickly filling in the blank spaces of the page. Jack was humming to himself. He quickly leaned against the railing and started sketching on a newspaper. Katherine ignored him and kept watching the girls sing. He glanced up at her several times, but Katherine kept her brown eyes trained forward. She leaned down on the railing. Jack finished sketching out his picture and Katherine's curiosity overcame her.

"What are you doing?" Katherine demanded. Jack pulled the newspaper to his chest,

"Hey! Hey! Would you quiet down? There's a show going on."

"You are the most impossible boy-" Jack put a finger to his lips,

"Shhhhhhhhhh…" Katherine whispered,

"Ever." Katherine pulled her jacket on tighter and looked down at the girls for their last note. Jack started climbing down the ladder, and Katherine glanced over. Jack forgot his paper. Katherine picked it up to give it back him but noticed the breathtaking woman on it. She grasped the paper tightly and picked up her notebook, leaving faster than her mind was racing.

**Please, please, please, please, please review! I get too excited when I see a review from any authors. Thanks to cecilia clare for motivating me and giving me new ideas for stories.**


	2. Chapter 2

**HI GUYS! I'm not dead, just busy. With a couple of vacations, I just was focused on other things besides my story. I am pretty proud of this chapter, and I think I did a better job of giving Katherine's thoughts. I really hope you like it, and I hope you catch my sneaky Les Mis reference. I get to go see it in Chicago soon, so I am pretty obsessed right now. Enjoy!**

* * *

Bill was waiting for her outside.

"Katherine, I—" Katherine kept walking. Bill followed sheepishly behind. Katherine looked around at the tall buildings, and her fingers twitched. She was longing for her typewriter. She was sick of her dad babying her. All she wanted to do was make a way for herself.

"Bill, you don't need to walk me to my office. I know the way."

"Are you sure? Your dad—"

"I know he sent you, but he's not as scary as he seems. I'm a big girl. I can walk to my office."

"Alright. I'm going to go to work."

"Go for it. Bye." Katherine was glad she could walk by herself so she could collect her thoughts. She was already working on her review for Medda's vaudeville performance, so she just needed to finish that up, and then she could go home.

* * *

Writer's block. Katherine sat in her office, staring at her typewriter with her fingers hovering over the keys. Earlier she seemed to have a million ideas whirling around her brain, but now she couldn't seem to get inspired no matter how hard she tried. Katherine decided to go for a walk to try and clear her head. She grabbed her pen and her notebook and shoved them in her pocket. Maybe there could be some interesting news story idea on her walk by some miracle. Katherine walked out onto the street without a word to anyone. Katherine walked all around New York looking for ideas for her review, but nothing was striking her. Even the World was struggling. Their headline had been about the trolley strike for the past three weeks! Katherine ignored the commotion at the restaurant across the street at first, but she kept hearing the word strike.

"Now you have to spread the word."

"Hey you heard the man, let's split up. Let's spread the word." Katherine's head turned over to Jacobi's. The boys starting calling out cities.

"Who wants Brooklyn?" All the commotion immediately quieted. "Come on! Brooklyn, Spot Conlon's turf!" Katherine immediately recognized Jack's face. There was more yelling about who was going to Brooklyn. Katherine couldn't contain her curiosity anymore.

"Why is everyone so scared of Brooklyn?" Katherine asked, bursting into the restaurant. She pushed down the regret that immediately followed. Katherine reminded herself of her longing for a story.

"What are you doing here?" Katherine could barely stop herself from rolling her eyes.

"I'm asking a question. Have you got an answer?" Katherine asked professionally. What else would she be doing here? Jack gave a brief description of why Brooklyn was important.

"Say, for someone who works for the New York Sun, you spend an awful lot of time out here at the World. So what's that about, huh? Are you following me?" Jack asked cheekily.

"The only thing I'm _following _is a story." Jack could be so annoying sometimes. She quickly explained her plan for them and their strike. She was sure she could make these boys tomorrow's news if she stepped up her writing game. This could be her first huge opportunity. Ever since she started her career, people did nothing but push her down, back down to where she started. Jack interrupted Katherine's deep thoughts and speech to the newsboys,

"I've seen a lot of papes in my day, and I never noted no girl reporter reporting hot news." Katherine fumed with anger. Even Jack wouldn't take her seriously because she was a woman. Nothing made her more furious.

"Well, wake up to the new century. The game's changing." The colors of the world were changing. And she could be part of that change. She desperately wanted to be. "How about an exclusive interview?"

"Ain't your beat entertainment?" Almost everyone assumed that just because Katherine could only find work in entertainment, that was all she could do.

"This is entertaining," Katherine told Jack. "So far." She wondered if this really could be the thing she was looking for.

"What's the last news story you wrote?" Jack pressed.

"What's the last strike you organized?" Katherine snapped back. Jack was an insensitive jerk so much of the time. A tall boy walked up to Katherine.

"I'd say we save any exclusive for a real reporter," the boy said matter-of-factly. Real reporter? Does he even know how hard this work is? Stereotypical. She was the most real reporter of her time as far as she was concerned.

"Well do you see someone else giving you the time of day?" Katherine asked angrily. She collected herself and tried to give them another chance. "Alright, I am just busting out of the social pages, but give me the exclusive. Let me run with the story, and I promise I will get you the space." No more backing down. She was committed to helping these boys have a voice. She had to make sure their voice was heard, even though her own voice felt drowned out by all the noise of other people. A boy with blond hair and a crutch hobbled over to her.

"You really think we could be in the papes," he said skeptically. Katherine knew they could.

"Shut down a paper like The World, you're going to make the front page."

"You want a story?" Katherine turned around to face Jack. All she ever wanted was a story. "Be at the circulation gate tomorrow morning, and you'll get one. Oh, and bring your camera. You're going to want to snap a picture of this!" The boys all yelled in excitement. Mr. Jacobi shooed out all of the newsies and Katherine. These boys got no respect. She could fix it. She had to.

* * *

**Hope you liked this chapter! I had fun writing it, and I hope to post soon. Wait for it. Maybe I can channel my inner Hamilton and write more this week. Please review! Reviews help keep me going. Thanks to mgsglacier, Percie Jean, ChibiDawn23, Phantom Actress, Guest, and Dani3434 for reading and reviewing. You really inspired me to write this chapter. Please review, and don't forget to give love and choose kind! Turn someone's life around today! It's super easy! Ok. Thanks for reading and putting up with me and my quirkiness. Goodbye for real. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! And thank you for coming back to read another chapter of my story. I really hope you like this. I tried to make Jack and Katherine's body language and Katherine's nervousness kind of foreshadow their relationship. Anyway, thanks for all the support and reviews. It truly does mean a lot. I don't own Newsies. (Sorry if I've forgotten a disclaimer in the past. I'll try to do better with that.) If I did, then the world would know how great this muscial is. ;)**

* * *

Katherine could barely believe what was happening. She didn't get a lot of support from her family in her career, so she was going to take this chance to boost her career. Katherine frantically scribbled down notes for her story. The newsies wanted the world to know that they mattered, and Katherine just wanted a chance to matter and make the newsboys have fair rights just like everyone else. Part of the reason Katherine didn't walk out of Jacobi's was that she felt painful sympathy to these boys. They were scraping by, and she felt like she was scraping by in her career. Katherine tapped Jack on the shoulder. She remembered Jack's drawing from the other night. There was no way he had that kind of talent and was just selling newspapers.

"So, what's your story? Are you selling papers to make your way through art school?"

"Art school?" Jack scoffed. "Are you kidding me?" The nerve of this boy. It was ridiculous what she put up with sometimes, but she put up with all of it for a reason. Not for them. For her.

"But you're an artist." Katherine stated, pulling the drawing out from her notebook. "You've got some real talent! You should be inside the paper illustrating, not outside hawking it." She stared down at the paper with her face smiling back at her. Although he did have a talent for lying and being aggressively persuasive, Jack was a great artist no matter which way you slice it.

"Maybe that ain't what I want." Why wouldn't he want success as an artist?

"Well, tell me what you want,"

Jack walked up close to Katherine and blinked his brown eyes. She backed up nervously.

"Can't you see it in my eyes?" Her eyes widened like a scared little girl.

"Yeah, ok…" Katherine took a few steps back from him. "Have you always been their leader?" She asked, opening her notebook.

"Hey, I'm a blowhard. Davey is the brains," Jack answered, pointing the place where Davey ran off to.

"Modesty is not a quality I would have pinned on you." Katherine didn't expect overconfident, big-mouthed Jack to give credit to another person.

"You got a name?" Jack asked. Katherine panicked. If Jack knew her real identity, he might not give her the exclusive. Katherine's father had caused her to fall under many stereotypes when she just wanted to be her own person.

"Katherine," she decided. "P-Plumber," Katherine's publishing name slipped out of her lips.

"What's the matter, ain't you sure?" Jack asked. He had seen the hesitation. Katherine scolded herself. Hesitation never did much for anyone.

"It's my byline," Katherine said truthfully. She technically wasn't lying to him. "The name I publish under." Jack nodded. Katherine's thoughts turned back to the story. "So, tell me about tomorrow. What are you hoping for?" Katherine asked with her eyes on her notebook. She felt Jack's finger push her head up gently so she was looking in his eyes.

"I'd rather tell you what I'm hoping for tonight." Katherine glanced at Jack.

"Mister Kelly… we should-" She pointed down at her notebook. Stay focused, Katherine. Jack groaned.

"Today, we stop the newsies from carryin' out the papes, but the wagons still deliver to the rest of the city," Jack explained. "Tomorrow, we stop the wagons."

"Are you scared?" Katherine asked. It was certainly a daunting task to try and stop all of the newspaper wagons throughout the city. The newsies could get themselves seriously hurt.

"Do I look scared?" Jack scoffed. "Eh, but ask me again in the morning."

"Good answer!" Katherine scribbled down his response in her notebook. If she hurried, she could still write part of the article before supper.

"Goodnight, Mister Kelly."

"Hey, hey! Where are you running? It ain't even suppertime," Jack said.

"I'll see you in the morning," Katherine said with a smile, her pen still dancing across the paper in her hand. She let her arms fall to her sides. "And, off the record, good luck." Katherine truly did want these boys to go far in this fight for freedom. Jack groaned as he swung around the pole in the empty streets of New York.

"Hey. Hey, Plumber!" He called. Katherine turned around to see Jack's face illuminated in the light of the sunset. "Write it good. We've both got a lot riding on you," Jack stated. He ran off into an alley. Katherine nodded. Only three words echoing over and over in her head. Write it good.

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**Thanks again (and again and again)! Please review if you have an extra minute. Thanks. I might do a Jack chapter just for giggles, so let me know your thoughts on that. The story will still be based mostly on Katherine, but it would be fun to write another perspective, and it might just make the story better. Byeeeeeee!**


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